beautifulgarbage
by Modern-Insomniac1138
Summary: Logan's adventures in therapy. Stars before Season 2, and goes slightly AU. Hints of LoVe, VD, and LoganLilly. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1: Shut Your Mouth

Title: beautifulgarbage

Author: Modern-Insomniac1138

Pairing/Character: Logan, OC, hints of LoVe, V/D and Logan/Lilly

Word Count: 1,160

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Logan's adventures in therapy. Season 2.

Disclaimer: Rob Thomas, the creator, owns Veronica Mars. I am merely a fan. Lauren Dohring, the wife, owns Jason Dohring (Logan). I am merely his mistress. lol. j/k... really I am! Also, beautifulgarbage is the album title of the band Garbage's 2001 album. The chapters' titles are also the titles to the songs on the album. At the beginning of each chapter there is a sample of the songs' lyrics, which I do not own. I do not own the album, the songs, the lyrics, or the band, but Shirley Manson kicks major ass.

Shut your mouth

Try not to panic

Just shut your mouth

If you can do it

_Tick Tock Tick Tock_

Dr. Audrey Barton sits down in her office as she stares at the clock. Her new client is late for his appointment. She hates the sound of the damn clock that hangs on her wall. The sound is starting to annoy her.

_Tick Tock Tick Tock_

It's almost as if it's taunting her. She looks at her new client's file, and sighs. "Another crazy, messed-up rich kid." she says to herself. A piece of her curly brown hair gets in her face. She tucks it neatly behind her ear as she stares at the file. She slowly reads the name over and over again. She then reads the comments of past therapists.

_"Troubled, physically and emotionally tormented, doesn't listen."_

_"He can't be helped, he doesn't want to be helped. He doesn't talk about himself nor does he listen."_

_"I quit."_

_Tick Tock Tick Tock_

"Enough with that damn clock!" she yells angrily, still staring at the file.

"Oh, now I know what not to get you for Christmas." a deep, male voice says mockingly.

She quickly looks up and sighs. It's her new client, Logan Echolls.

"Hello, Mr. Echolls, it's nice of you to finally arrive." she says sarcastically as she gets up from where she is sitting.

"Yeah." he mumbles as he plops down on the couch.

Audrey walks over to where he is laying down and introduces herself. "I'm Dr. Audrey Barton. You can call me Dr. Audrey or Dr. Barton, whatever you feel more comfortable with." she says as she extends out her hand.

"Why don't I just call you Audrey?" he asks sarcastically as he waves to her.

She clenches her jaw tightly as her hand drops to her side and she takes a seat across from him.

"Logan, I know why you're here. You're here because you were arrested for quote, "punching a cop under the influence of alcohol", unquote. The judge let you go and gave you two options, therapy or anger management. Why exactly did you pick therapy?" she asks curiously.

"Because I liked the word," he answers flatly.

"Logan, you came to me. Now, I'm going to give you two options. If you want a full session, then next time you should come on time. I'm going to give you another week to think over why you picked therapy and you can come back and we can get through this, or you can go to anger management. It's your choice. How does that sound?" she asks.

He sits up and looks at her square in the face and says huskily, "You have the most beautiful brown eyes that I've ever seen. How old are you?"

"I'm 37 and I'm leaving," she says as she gets up from where she was sitting. He falls back on the couch again and sighs.

She goes over to her desk and picks up her backpack and stuffs papers and files into it. Logan watches and asks, "Where's your briefcase?"

"What?" she asks.

"Your briefcase. I mean, aren't therapists supposed to have briefcases and be all "professional" like? Shouldn't you be wearing five hundred dollar suits and have you hair in a tight bun?" he asks as he looks at her from head to toe.

Audrey stops what she is doing and answers, "I like backpacks better and I like what I'm wearing. Look, I'm just too busy to care if I look like the "ideal therapist". I don't need to pretend to be good at my job. I am good at my job. My clothes don't need to reflect that."

"Ah, so you're one of those free spirit type of therapists. I had one of those when I was like ten. He threw me out of his office because I kneed him in the groin." he says.

"Logan, why did you knee that poor man in the groin?" she asks.

"Because he called me Satan's little fucked-up spawn," he answers sadly.

She bites her lip as she makes her way back to the chair next to where he is laying.

"Oh, so now you want to join me?" he asks smiling.

"Don't get me wrong, I am going to leave in five minutes, but I just want to know one thing." she says.

"Shoot." he says flatly as he plays with his fingers.

"I've read about you. I've read all the things you've done and I just want to know why you insist on pissing off every therapist that enters your life." she asks.

Logan chuckles and answers, "I don't mean to piss of every therapist that I've seen, it's just that they don't get me. They don't try to like me or try to reach out to me. They were just in it for the money and the fact that they could have the achievement of fixing Aaron Echolls' troubled son. I was just another plaque to hang in their office. They didn't care about me, nobody really cares about me."

"I'm sorry, but I want you to know that I'm different. I want you to know that I can help you if you just let me." she says sincerely.

He slowly drops his fingers and looks over at her. Their eyes lock and he slowly gets up from where he is sitting and starts for the door. "Everybody says that, but they never do. They say they can help, but instead all they give me are broken promises and lost hope. Thanks for the short session Audrey, maybe I'll see you around sometime." he says over his shoulder as he walks out of her office.

Audrey sighs as she closes her eyes in frustration as the clock, once again, rings in her ear.

_Tick Tock Tick Tock_

Author's Notes: I hope you liked the start of the story. I'm sorry that it's kind of short; I promise the next chapter will be longer. Please read and review so I can continue. Also to all the "Home Sweet Home" fans, expect a new chapter by Saturday or possibly earlier. I have not gotten my computer fixed yet, so keep praying please!

Ally


	2. Chapter 2: Androgyny

Title: beautifulgarbage

Author: Modern-Insomniac1138

Pairing/Character: Logan, OC, hints of LoVe, V/D and Logan/Lilly

Word Count: 1,155

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Logan's adventures in therapy. Season 2.

Disclaimer: Rob Thomas, the creator, owns Veronica Mars. I am merely a fan. Lauren Dohring, the wife, owns Jason Dohring (Logan). I am merely his mistress. lol. j/k... really I am! Also, beautifulgarbage is the album title of the band Garbage's 2001 album. The chapters' titles are also the titles to the songs on the album. At the beginning of each chapter there is a sample of the songs' lyrics, which I do not own. I do not own the album, the songs, the lyrics, or the band, but Shirley Manson kicks major ass.

Boys in the girls room

Girls in the men's room

You free your mind in your androgyny

Boys in the parlor

They're getting harder

I'll free your mind and your androgyny

One Week Later

"Thanks Dr. Barton for another great session." Danielle Matthews says happily as she strolls out of Dr. Audrey Barton's office.

"It was my pleasure, Danielle, I'll see you next week." Audrey says smiling as she waves her client good-bye.

"Dr. Barton?" Zoe Tyler, Audrey's assistant, asks timidly.

"Yes, Zoe?" she asks.

"There's another client here to see you ma'am." she answers shyly.

Audrey scrunches her forehead in confusion, but then realizes who it must be.

"Alright, Zoe, just send him in." Audrey says.

"Yes, ma'am." Zoe says hurriedly as she walks past Audrey.

Audrey shakes her head in amusement at the young, red head as she re-enters her office.

A few moments later, her client arrives.

"I've got to say Doc, the birds are chirping, the animals are free, this is how it truly feels like to be happy again." a familiar deep, male voice says mockingly.

"Hello, Logan. I'm glad you chose to continue therapy sessions." Audrey says smiling.

"Yeah, well I kept thinking over in my mind if I wanted to be in a room with creepy, angry people or if I wanted to be alone in a room with a hot, older woman. That isn't what I call a choice." Logan says as he plops down on her black, leather couch.

"I'm glad you like my couch." Audrey says as she takes a seat in a chair across from where he is laying. She opens her notebook and gets a pen from her pocket.

"Yeah, well what can you say, I have a couch fetish." Logan says smirking.

"Okay so Logan, did you think over what I asked you last week?" she asks.

"Yeah, and I already gave you an answer, I'd rather be in a room with you." he answers flatly.

"No, I asked you why you picked therapy. I want to know the honest truth." she says.

Logan says nothing. Audrey sighs and says, "Logan, I can't help you if you don't participate."

Logan remains silent. Audrey sighs once again and asks, "Would it make you feel better if you could ask me a few questions, first?"

Logan finally answers, "Yes."

Audrey jots down a couple notes in her notebook as she says, "Okay then, ask away."

Logan looks up at the ceiling and asks flatly, "What's your favorite color?"

"Red."

"What's your favorite television show?"

"I don't watch TV."

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Do you have a pet?"

"Actually I do. It's a small, female Yorkshire terrier named Shirley."

Logan looks up at her in amusement and asks, "Shirley? Who the hell names their dog, Shirley?"

"Me." she answers. Logan shakes his head as he continues to stare at the ceiling.

"What's your favorite kind of music?"

"Classic rock."

"Do you read books?"

"Yes."

"What's your favorite book, then?"

"Night By Elie Wiesel."

He looks over at her and asks curiously, "What's it about?"

She smiles as she writes more notes into her notebook and answers, "It's about this young, Jewish boy who witnesses the death of his family, the death of his innocence, and the death of his God in a horrifying Nazi death camp during the Holocaust. It's penetrating, powerful, and very personal. If you want to read it, I could lend you my copy."

"Next time, I guess, so what's your favorite movie?"

"Soylent Green."

"What's your favorite flower?"

"White tulips."

"What's your favorite sex position?" he asks smirking.

Audrey smiles weakly as her face turns a strawberry red. "I guess that's enough about me for today." she says.

Logan cocks an eyebrow and says, "Well, I thought therapists and doctors were prudes, but I guess you escaped their similar fate."

"Logan, we're here to talk about you." she says.

He looks at her and smiles. "Aw, you do care. What do I owe you? A kidney?" he asks mockingly.

"Logan, it's already halfway through our session and we still haven't gotten anywhere, yet." she says looking at her watch on her wrist.

"Where's your clock?" he asks staring at her intently.

"What?" she asks as she meets his gaze.

"I mean the clock on your wall that you were screaming at last week. Where is it now?" he asks curiously as if he was a small child asking his mother a question.

Audrey stares at him in disbelief and writes a couple of notes in her notebook. "You noticed that clock?" she asks.

"Yeah I did, what happened to it?" he asks.

"I threw it out the window a few days ago, it was driving me nuts." she answers.

Logan chuckles as he smiles in amusement. "Nevermind that I asked." he says as he resumes staring at the ceiling.

"Do you want to talk about yourself?" she asks.

"No, I want you to talk about yourself." he answers.

"Why?" she asks as she writes a few more notes in her notebook.

"Why not?" he fires back.

Audrey sighs in defeat and asks, "Okay, where would you like me to start? From the womb, from birth, from childhood, what?"

Logan thinks for a moment and answers, "I just want to hear about you. I mean if you're going to be my therapist and we're going to have this "bond" then I should at least know a little bit about you. Come on, let me be the therapist."

"Okay, fine." she says reluctantly as she closes her notebook and stands up. He gets up from where he is laying and heads over to where she was sitting and sits down. She lies down on the couch that he was previously occupying.

"Okay, Audrey. Tell me about yourself." he says.

"Okay, my full name is Audrey Juliet Barton. I was born on April 17, 1968, in Richmond, Virginia. My parents, Cynthia and Peter Barton, were both hippies. I guess that's why I'm an only child." she says.

"And?..." Logan trails as he motions for her to continue.

"And I lived in the Richmond with my parents until I was about nine. I moved to San Francisco to live with my Aunt Tracy after that." she says.

"Why? What happened to your parents? Did they get tired of you and ship you off to your dear Aunt Tracy?" he asks mockingly.

Audrey looks down at her fingers and remembers what happened. "No." she whispers.

"Then why?" he asks insistently.

"I think that it's time for me to get back to my job." she says suddenly as she gets up from the couch.

"No, tell me." he says demandingly as he gets up from where he's sitting.

"Logan, you're the one I'm supposed to be helping." she says as she walks over to her desk.

"If you answer what happened then we can move on and I'll talk." he says.

"Just drop it!" she snaps angrily.

He stares at her in surprise and says, "Fine."

"Okay, let's just get back to what we're both supposed to do. I'll be the therapist from now on." she says.

"Okay." he says flatly.

She looks at her watch and lets out a deep breath. "Our time's up. I'll see you next week, Logan." she says.

"Okay." he says flatly as he heads for the door. As he reaches for the doorknob, he stops abruptly and turns around. "How dare you claim that you can help other people if you can't even help yourself!" he yells accusingly.

"What?" she asks.

"You heard me, how dare you claim that you can help other people if you can't even help yourself!" he yells angrily.

Audrey stares at the ground and says nothing.

"The only way you can help me is if you help yourself, first. How are you supposed to solve everyone else's problems if you can't even solve your own? Why don't you think about it and give me an answer next week." he says bitterly as he exits her office.

She is left standing by her desk in shock. She goes to the private bathroom, in her office, and washes her face. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and starts to cry. She can't believe that Logan is right.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! Please R&R. I'm glad that I'm getting a positive response from everyone; please don't let those become negative! I'll try to get the new chapter uploaded as soon as I possibly can.

Ally


	3. Chapter 3: Can't Cry These Tears

Title: beautifulgarbage

Author: Modern-Insomniac1138

Pairing/Character: Logan, OC, hints of LoVe, V/D and Logan/Lilly

Word Count: 1,810

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Logan's adventures in therapy. Season 2.

Disclaimer: Rob Thomas, the creator, owns Veronica Mars. I am merely a fan. Lauren Dohring, the wife, owns Jason Dohring (Logan). I am merely his mistress. lol. j/k... really I am! Also, beautifulgarbage is the album title of the band Garbage's 2001 album. The chapters' titles are also the titles to the songs on the album. At the beginning of each chapter there is a sample of the songs' lyrics, which I do not own. I do not own the album, the songs, the lyrics, or the band, but Shirley Manson kicks major ass.

I just don't care anymore

I've reached the end of the road

I just don't care anymore

Won't cry these tears anymore

Two Weeks Later

"Dr. Barton, I'm so glad to have you back. All your patients missed you." Zoe exclaims smiling.

"Well, I'm glad to be back." Dr. Audrey Barton says.

"Did your break give you time to think?" Zoe asks.

"Yeah, it did. So who's my first client, today?" Audrey asks as she and Zoe head to her office.

"It's Mr. Echolls." Zoe replies as they enter her office, only to find Logan sleeping on the couch.

"Zoe?"

"Yeah, Dr. Barton?"

"Why is he sleeping on my couch?"

"Well, he said that he needed time to prepare for your session today, so I let him in."

Audrey looks incredulously at Zoe and says sarcastically, "Thanks, Zoe."

Zoe looks down at her feet as she walks out of Audrey's office. "Bye Dr. Barton."

Audrey sighs as she makes her way to her desk and unpacks all her paperwork and files. She, then, walks over to the window behind her desk and opens the curtains, letting the bright California Sunshine through.

Logan grumbles and shouts groggily, "Five more minutes, mommy!"

Audrey shakes her head in amusement as she walks over to where he is. She leans down and whispers into his ear. "Logan..."

Logan grunts in response.

"Logan, wake up." she says into his ear.

Logan just rolls over on his side. Audrey rolls her eyes and yells loudly, "Logan!"

He jumps off her couch and shouts loudly, "What?"

Audrey just giggles and he says, "What the hell is your problem, lady? I was trying to sleep over here!"

"Yeah, well if you sleep then what am I supposed to do?"

Logan just smirks as he sits back down on the couch. Audrey looks over at him in disgust. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Sorry, sweet heart, but my mind's been in there ever since the sperm hit the egg." Logan says smiling as he fixes his clothes.

"Logan, are you ready to talk yet?"

"Nope."

"Why, not?"

"Because you haven't answer my question, yet."

Audrey sighs heavily as she makes her way to her desk to get her notebook and pen. "Logan, this is about you. You're not paying me to talk about myself."

"Well, the sooner you answer my questions, the sooner we begin with yours."

Audrey just sits down in her familiar chair across from him and says reluctantly, "Fine, I'll answer your little questions."

"Okay, so why were you gone last week? Why did you cancel all your appointments?" he asks.

"Because, I needed some time to think some things over. You know reanalyze some stuff." she answers.

"Wow, you can get a week off just to "reanalyze" your life? I seriously should think about taking up psychology, next year." Logan says sarcastically.

"Logan... just ask the next question."

"Fine, fine. So, why did you freak out last week? You know when I asked you about your parents, what happened to them? Why did you have to live with your Aunt Tracy?" he asks.

Audrey just stares at him. For the past week she's been trying to get ready for this moment. She's been trying to cope with the night her parents died, once again. For many, many years she's pushed the dark memory into the back of her mind, but now it's resurfaced. Now, she has to cope with the haunting memory all over again.

Audrey, then, looks at her hands as if they were deadly weapons and starts to fidget with them. "They died." she says flatly.

Logan looks over at her and says, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Yeah, I am too."

"How did they die?" he asks.

Audrey looks down at the floor as flashbacks of that night enter her mind. She shakes the violent thoughts out of her brain and whispers softly, "I used to be a happy kid."

Logan looks at her in confusion as she continues. "I used to do everything that normal children should do. I had a normal family, I had normal friends, I went to a normal school, and I was just normal. Then, when I was about six, my dad, Peter started to act a little funny. He stopped bringing me to the park, stopped hanging out with his friends, and stopped his life. He started to have violent outbursts. He started to strike my mother for no apparent reason. My mom just thought it was some sort of phase or something, but when my dad lost his job, he just snapped. After that, nothing was normal." She looks up at him and he looks back at her with compassion and understanding.

She looks away and gets up from where she's sitting and starts pacing back and forth from her desk to the door. "One night when I was eight, I was sleeping and he came home drunk. He barged into my bedroom, grabbed me out of bed, and threw me into the hallway. He then... he then..." she tries to choke out. She then leans her back on the wall and slides down until she's slumped against it. Logan goes over to where's she's sitting and sits down next to her.

"He then started to beat me." she manages to say as she closes her eyes and one tear slides down her cheek. Logan just looks at her, open mouthed in surprise. "He beat me like I was just his own, private punching bag. He called me a worthless piece of shit and that I didn't deserve to live. He did this every night until my nightgown was red. I came to school every morning with bruises, cuts, scrapes, and broken bones. The more and more he called me worthless, the more and more I started to believe it. So I just thought that I was being beaten because I had done something. I felt like I had done something wrong. I felt like I deserved it." she says as she starts to sob violently.

He rubs her back soothingly with his hand as he tries to calm her.

"Then one night when I was nine, while I was sleeping, I woke up to a loud crash coming from the living room. I didn't know what had happened; I didn't even notice that my dad didn't come into my room for my daily beatings. I just slipped out of my bed and walked cautiously out of my room and down the hall. I remember that I felt something wet and sticky under my feet. I looked down and saw little red drops all over the floor. I followed the little red drops. As I started to walk closer, I smelt a strange scent. It smelt like metal. I followed it and I saw my dad lying down on the floor in a big pool of the red sticky stuff. My mom was crouched over him. Her hands were all bloody. "Mom?" I asked quietly. She just turned around and stared at me. She looked sad, very sad. She had a butcher knife beside her. I'll never forget that sight and what she said." she says as she stares at the opposite wall. She stares at the wall as if she was in some sort of a daze. Her cascading tears continue to stream down her face.

"What did she say?" he asks as he, too, starts to tear up.

Audrey swallows hard and answers, "She said to come over and to look what she had done. So I came to where she was. She told me to kneel down beside her, so I did. She then whispered into my ear. She whispered, "Honey, it's over now. You're safe from the bad man. He won't try to hurt you anymore." She then told me to run to the neighbor's house and get help. She kissed me and hugged me and told me that she loved me and that she'll always be with me. I then ran out of the house and headed toward the neighbors. When the neighbors and I went back to the house. We found my mother's dead body across from my fathers. My mother had stabbed herself to death." She continues to sob.

Logan doesn't know what to do. He just looks at her with sympathy and realizes that they're both alike in more ways than he could've ever imagined. He then realizes that she's different and that she can help him. She was meant to help him.

"Audrey, are you alright?" he asks as he rubs her back soothingly. He desperately wants to take all that pain away from her. He has now developed tears of his own from hearing what she had gone through as a child.

She wipes her tears away and tries to regain her composure. She then stares at him square in the face. "I am now. I'm not that little girl, anymore. I've grown up. I'm 37, and I'm still learning how to deal with the pain and the memories of what happened years ago, but I've learned to cope. I'm not going to live in the past, and neither should you. I've never told anyone this except for the police and my aunt. I've never told Zoe, my friends, or any of my clients until now. Logan, I am desperate to help you. I want you to know that if I can get through something like that, that you can get through something traumatic as well. I can help you, doesn't that mean anything?"

He just stares at her and nods his head in response. "Yes, it does."

She smiles weakly and asks in disbelief, "Logan, are you ready to talk, now?"

"Yes, I am."

Author's Notes: I thank everyone who's reading "beautifulgarbage" and all my other stories. It really means a lot to me. I appreciate all the feedback, also. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I, also, hope you liked it! It took me a while to write, so I hope it wasn't just a waste of time and effort.

Ally


	4. Chapter 4: Til The Day I Die

Title: beautifulgarbage

Author: Modern-Insomniac1138

Pairing/Character: Logan, OC, hints of LoVe, V/D and Logan/Lilly

Word Count: 1,905

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Logan's adventures in therapy. Season 2.

Disclaimer: Rob Thomas, the creator, owns Veronica Mars. I am merely a fan. Lauren Dohring, the wife, owns Jason Dohring (Logan). I am merely his mistress. lol. j/k... really I am! Also, beautifulgarbage is the album title of the band Garbage's 2001 album. The chapters' titles are also the titles to the songs on the album. At the beginning of each chapter there is a sample of the songs' lyrics, which I do not own. I do not own the album, the songs, the lyrics, or the band, but Shirley Manson kicks major ass.

I dreamt that I called out your name

You turned your face to me and started to say

Something so beautiful it hurt deep inside

So I will love you till the day that I die

One Month Later

"Dr. Audrey Barton's office, please hold." Zoe says coolly into the phone. "I'm sorry but Dr. Barton's completely booked that whole week. I'm sorry... okay, bye."

"Ah, hello Zoe." a familiar deep male voice says casually as she hangs up the phone.

Zoe immediately starts to tense up. "Oh, hi Logan. You're really early today."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to catch up on the newest issue of In Style magazine before my session with Audrey. Well Zoe, don't you look pretty today. Did you cut your hair?" Logan asks sweetly as he takes a seat in the waiting room.

"Oh, yeah, I got it trimmed." she spits out nervously

"Cool, it looks good on you."

"Tha...thanks." she manages to stutter out.

"So, when is Doc Hollywood gonna see me?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Um... she'll be able to see you right after her client's session is over. So... probably in about ten minutes."

"Fuck, well, at least I'll know how Julia Roberts' is doing lately besides making crappy romantic comedies. Hm... I wonder where Benjamin Bratt is these days."

"Julia Roberts does not make crappy romantic comedies." Zoe says defensively.

"Yeah, well, you say London, I say France."

"Well, I hope I don't have to see anyone's underpants." a voice says, which interrupts them. Zoe and Logan both look up.

"Hey Zoe, Hi Logan."

"Hi Dr. Barton." Zoe greets warmly.

"Hey Audrey, I thought you were busy with another client." Logan says as he starts to stand up.

"Yeah, well, my other client decided to cut it short today because of this thing she had to attend. I think she said the words Tupperware and party. Wow, scary thought."

"You're telling me." Logan mumbles.

"Okay, well, come on in." Audrey says as he leads him into her office. "Logan, you know the drill."

"Yeah, I know." Logan mumbles as he lies down on the all too familiar black, leather couch that he normally occupies during his therapy sessions.

"So, where were we?" Audrey asks as she takes a seat in the chair across from him, and picks up her notebook and pen.

"Um... we were talking about my fifth birthday."

"Okay, so tell me about your fifth birthday. Tell me about who was there, what happened, and so on."

"Audrey, darling, I was meaning to ask you something first."

"All right Logan." she says slightly amused at Logan's childish behavior.

"Okay, so are therapists supposed to be interested in birthday parties, and shit like that? Do therapists get out much? Like, do you have actual friends? Also..." Logan starts as Audrey rolls her eyes. Every week, Logan seems to have a new question that Audrey just has to answer as if the fate of the world depended on it.

Audrey shakes her head in amusement as Logan starts going on and on about therapists and social lives for about five minutes.

"... and on a third note, why do..." Logan says before Audrey interrupts him.

"Logan, can we just move on with our session, already?"

"Alright, but I was just about to talk about therapists and if they party as hard as the Hiltons, and believe me, I've met 'em. Nicky's more conservative, but Paris can shake what her momma gave her. Ah, good times, good times."

"Okay, I would rather Paris not shake anything. Anyways, back to the actual therapy session. Logan, tell me about your fifth birthday."

"Hm... do you want to know before or after I got beat up by my bastard father?" Logan asks smiling weakly.

"Logan, please be serious." Audrey scolds.

"Fine, fine, mom. Okay, so it was my fifth birthday. I, uh, I woke up, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. I expected the works. I expected balloons, pancakes, and all that stupid crap. I remember going into the kitchen and waiting for everyone to yell, 'Happy Birthday', but instead I get a silent welcome. There's nobody, but the maids there. I start to think, hey, everyone went out and is preparing a surprise party for me. Later that night I find out that everyone forgot my birthday. So I threw a soccer ball at the window. Well, I got a birthday present after all. I got a scolding from my mom. I got a cut lip, broken arm, and black eye from my dad, and a verbal beating from Trina. Yeah, my fifth birthday was a hoot. Raise the roof. Raise the roof." he says bitterly.

"Logan, that sounds terrible. Why did your parents forget your birthday?" Audrey asks as she starts writing in her notebook.

"Well, because they were busy with a new movie that my dad was going to star in. It was called 'Night of Doom'. Night of fucking Doom? You know how much that movie made in the box office?"

"I don't know, what?"

"What's five thousand times ten?"

"Fifty thousand."

"Ding, ding, right answer! Give this lady a toaster or something! Yeah, well, Gigli made more than that, I think, and you know what I get? I get another black eye. I get a fucking black eye for some stupid B-rated film that my genius dad signed up for!" Logan shouts angrily as he shoots up from the couch and starts pacing.

"Logan, maybe you have to view this from your father's point of view. Maybe he was just frustrated about the movie bombing and that's why he took all of his anger, pain, resentment, ect. on you." Audrey reasons.

"Yeah, right, and I'm the Easter bunny." Logan says sarcastically.

"Well, with that shirt that you're wearing, I sort of got you two mixed up." Audrey teases.

"Totally not the right moment to crack a joke, Dr. B. It's just that, that bastard abused me. He hit me whenever he felt like it. I mean I was a royal pain the ass, but the way he beat me, he made it sound like I was just as bad as freakin' Damien from the Omen!"

"Logan, is that why you started acting the part? Did you get the feeling that since your dad thought you were such an awful kid, that you should be an awful kid?"

"Where are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that maybe the reason you're such an obnoxious jackass sometimes, is because that's what your father thought you were, and maybe you thought that since that's what your father thought you were, then that's who you were gonna be. You hide your self-doubt and insecurities by picking on lesser others. It makes you feel better about yourself. It makes you feel in charge. It makes you feel how your father felt when he beat you. It makes you feel powerful." Audrey says as Logan looks at her in awe.

"Uh, Logan?"

"Wow, you were so right before. You don't need to look or pretend to be good at your job, you are good at your job."

"Grazie, well back to what I was saying..." she starts before there's a knock on the door. Audrey sighs.

"Yes?"

The door slowly opens and Zoe peeks in. "Uh, Dr. Barton?"

"Yes, Zoe?"

"There's a call for you on line two. It's Andy. He said that if you're busy, you don't have to answer. He just wanted to call and tell you that he can't make it for dinner tonight and that he's sorry. He says that he'll call you later and reschedule if he can." Zoe says.

"Oh, well I'll talk to him now. Thanks Zoe."

"Your welcome." Zoe says as she closes the door.

Audrey sighs in disappointment as she walks over to her phone on her desk to take the call. "Excuse me." she mumbles to Logan before she picks up the phone. Logan carefully observes and listens carefully.

"Hi sweetie... I'm sorry that you can't come home tonight... I really miss you. How about we get some coffee tomorrow? Oh, you're busy... how about coffee next week, then? Is that okay for you? Okay, coffee it is. Oh honey, I'm with a client, can I call you later? Okay, talk to you later. I love you, bye." she says before she hangs up. She slowly walks over to the chair that she was previously sitting in.

"Sorry about that. Where were we, again?" Audrey asks as she picks up her notebook and pen again.

"Well, we were on the subject on my asshole-ness, but who's Andy?"

"It's non of your business."

"C'mon Dr. B, you know I'm your favorite client. Who is it? Tell me."

"Logan, you are extremely nosey and annoying today and it is really starting to piss me off." Audrey snaps angrily.

"Ouch, sorry. So, I take it this "Andy" guy was supposed to have dinner with you tonight? Did he flake out or something?"

"It's nothing of your concern, Logan. Now, let's get on with our session."

"We can't." Logan says knowingly.

"And why not?" Audrey asks tiredly.

"Because our session is over." Logan says as he waves the watch on his wrist in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, see you next week Logan. Good-bye." she says.

"Okay, bye Audrey. Say hi to Andy for me, will ya?" Logan asks teasingly.

"Good-bye Logan." she says as she motions for him to leave.

"Alright, alright." Logan says as he leaves.

Once Logan leaves, Audrey smiles weakly as she gets up and walks toward her desk. She, then, sits in the chair behind the cluttered desk and opens up a drawer. In it there's a picture of a young man, who looks to be in his early twenties. She starts staring at it for a few more moments, before she closes the drawer shut. Audrey buries her head in her hands and starts to rub her eyes in frustration.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading. I know it's been a long wait, but I've had a severe case of writer's block. Well, thanks to all my fans! Here, Nikki, gah! All you do in school is ask about this damn story, well, here it is! lol. Oh, and if y'all didn't already know, grazie is Italian for thank you. Well, please review!

Ally


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